


Anniversaries

by gottriplets



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Romance, did i mention the fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-09-02 19:41:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16793491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gottriplets/pseuds/gottriplets
Summary: David and Patrick got married on Valentine's Day at Open Mic night.  This is how they celebrate their anniversary throughout the years.  Sequel to Family Pajamas





	1. Paper

**Author's Note:**

> The plan is to have a chapter for most of the 'traditional' anniversary gifts. We'll see how far I get.

“Now I know why you picked Valentine’s Day to get married,” David says while preparing wine and glasses for the Open Mic night. “You just wanted to be sure I wouldn’t forget when our anniversary was.”

“David,” Patrick scolds. “Would I do something like that? I just wanted a reason to be able to give you two gifts in one day so you could be doubly annoyed by me!” Patrick leans over and gives David a peck on the cheek.

“Ummm….I’m pretty sure that started right after we got back from our honeymoon and you insisted on celebrating our one month anniversary. No one needs a heart shaped pizza, Patrick! No one!.”

“At least it wasn’t a cookie. I learned my lesson there. And I think I’ve gotten progressively better as the months have gone by.”

“Sure,” David rolls his eyes. “The kissing fish for 6 months were a great idea...until I found them floating at the top of the tank. And who knew you could develop an allergy to shellfish later in life? The 8 month anniversary in the ER was a real treat,” David teases.

“Well, just wait until tonight. I have big plans for the second annual Valentine’s Day Open Mic night.”

“Annual?”

“Yes, David. Annual. As in every year. What could be better than celebrating our love in the spot we fell in love? And surrounded by everyone we love?” Patrick slides over to David and engulfs him in a hug.

“Ummmm….are you counting Bob in everyone we love? Because I’m still a little irritated by the sweater joke he told at the last Open Mic night. Knits are not something to mock, Patrick. They are an integral part of a complete wardrobe!”

“And this is why I love you, David,” Patrick lifts his head and gives David a kiss. “Now let’s get this show on the road!”

“Who says that?” David laughs.

The store begins to fill with people. David keeps himself busy collecting drink tickets and serving wine while Patrick sets up the sound equipment.

David sees Patrick’s cousin Ryan - who apparently has come out - walk in holding hands with a very tall blonde.

“David, this is my boyfriend, Elliott. Elliott, this is my cousin-in-law, David. David is Patrick’s husband,” Ryan can’t help but smile at the word ‘husband’.

To be honest, David still hasn’t gotten over the thrill of calling Patrick his husband, and it’s been an entire year. A year full of lots of hard work at the store, but being able to do it with Patrick beside him makes even the worst day bearable.

“Good evening, everyone,” Patrick announces from the stage. “And welcome to the second annual Rose Apothecary Open Mic night.” There is applause from the audience. “Now, those of you who were here last year might recall that David and I got married during Open Mic night. Now, we don’t have anything that exciting planned tonight, but I wanted to take a minute to tell my wonderful husband Happy Anniversary and Happy Valentine’s Day.”

David blushes. “Oh dear God,” David says as Patrick produces an envelope from behind his back.

“Now, this has been a great year for Rose Apothecary and David and I are so thankful to all of you for helping make this store a success. David, could you come up here a minute?”

“I really don’t think this is necessary, Patrick. Must we do this in front of everyone?”

“Oh yes, we must, David.” Patrick opens the envelope and shows its contents to David. David is visibly relieved after reading it. “This,” Patrick says, turning the paper to show the audience, “Is our signed contract to open our second store in Elmdale!”

The audience claps and murmurs their approval.

“Now, let’s begin the show with Bob and his poetic tribute to beverages.”

Patrick and David find seats at a table in the corner. “Were you really that worried, David? What did you think I had in that envelope? I know that the first year is the paper anniversary, but did you really think that was your gift?”

“Knowing you it could have been anything. You might have adopted a child from Ghana, it could have been the deed to some old fixer-upper house, I don’t know. You never cease to amaze me.”

“And I hope I never do. Happy Anniversary, David.”

“Happy Anniversary, Patrick.”  
Patrick leans over and whispers in David’s ear, “Your presents are at home. I’ll give you a hint...I hope you like spas. And Lover’s Curry….”


	2. Cotton

“Hey, Claire, have a seat,” Patrick says as she walks in the door. She is carrying Matthew who is fast asleep.

“Thanks. He is so heavy lately! He fell asleep at the boys’ T-ball game, so I thought I’d come down here and check out Open Mic night. I can’t wait to see what you’ve planned for this anniversary!”

David walks over and kisses Claire on the cheek. “Hey there. Patrick didn’t tell me you were coming.”

“Patrick didn’t know. The boys’ are playing T-ball down the road and this one fell asleep. I thought I’d take advantage of the air conditioning,” Claire says, laughing.

“Well, hopefully it will be worth sitting through Bob’s beat poetry.”

Claire’s phone begins to ring. “Patrick, could you grab it?” she says, nodding toward the diaper bag.

Patrick pulls her phone out and looks at the screen. “It’s Tom.”

“That’s weird. Go ahead and answer it.”

“Hey, Tom. It’s Patri...ok. Ok. Ok. The hospital emergency room? Ok. Bye.”

“Oh my God, what is wrong Patrick? Is it mom? Dad?” Claire asks.

“Claire, I want you to remain calm,” Patrick says. “It’s Jack. Apparently he slid into third base and they think he may have broken his leg. Give me Matthew and we’ll watch him. Do you think you’ll be ok to drive?”

Claire hands him Matthew, who is still sleeping, and the diaper bag. “There are enough diapers in there for overnight if needed. There’s a sippy cup, you can just give him regular milk. There’s also a bag of Cheerios. If we’re going to be really late you’ll have to figure something out for him.” Claire heads to the door. “David, can you come with me to grab the car seat?”

“I guess...what do I do with it once I have it?” David looks thoroughly confused.

“Just bring it in here,” Patrick says. “We’ll need it if we have to take Matthew back to the apartment.”

“I’ll call as soon as I know anything, ok? Love you!”

“Love you, too, Claire! Drive safely.”  
By the time David gets back with the car seat, Bob is finishing up his beat poetry and it’s almost time to close the store. Patrick is still cuddling Matthew who has remained fast asleep.

“Just go up there and tell them ‘thank you’ for coming and we’ll see them next time,” Patrick whispers, “then we can close up and get this guy home.”

Reluctantly David takes the mic and dismisses the crowd. Patrick puts Matthew in his car seat so that they can clean up a little and lock the store up. Patrick picks up Matthew and hands him to David.

“No, no, no...I don’t do kids, remember?” David bats his hands at Patrick.

“Well, you can either hold Matthew or figure out how to install the car seat in the back of the car. The choice is yours.”

“Give me the baby.”

“I thought you’d see the light. I’ll be back as soon as I get the car seat in.”

David awkwardly holds Matthew, hoping that Patrick doesn’t take too long.

Patrick’s familiar sedan pulls up and Patrick takes Mathew from David’s arms.

“Here you go, little guy,” he says, putting him in the car seat, “let’s get you buckled in. David, can you grab the diaper bag and put it on the other side of the back seat?”

Matthew stirs and opens his eyes. “Unca Patwick.”

“Yep, it’s Uncle Patrick and Uncle David. We’re going to go to our house, ok?” Patrick is surprised that Matthew doesn’t ask for his mother, but figures that he’s still pretty sleepy.

Once they arrive at the apartment, Matthew is wide awake. 

“Me walk.”

“Ok, but you have to hold my hand,” Patrick says, holding his hand out. The two of them cross the lobby of the apartment building with David following behind carrying the diaper bag.

Once they get into the apartment, Patrick gets Matthew settled on the couch and opens the diaper bag.

“Do you know what to do with those things?” David asks.

“They’re just diapers, David. I’ve probably changed a million of them. I have a lot of younger cousins, remember?”

“Ewww...that just sounds so, I don’t know, disgusting.”

“Just watch, David. It’s not that bad.”

Patrick proceeds to put a blanket down on the floor. “Ok, Matthew! Let’s change this diaper.”

Matthew willingly lies down on the blanket. Patrick opens the velcro on the cloth diaper and removes the wet diaper.

“Can you hand me another diaper, David. They’re the white, cottony things in the bag.”

“Oh my God, Patrick,” David says, handing him a clean diaper, “how are you going to get that on him?”

By the time David finishes the sentence Patrick has Matthew diapered and dressed.

“Piece of cake, David.”

David won’t admit it, but he is a little bit in awe of his husband. He’d never really seen him alone with children for any amount of time. He seems to be a natural at this baby thing. 

After a quick dinner of Cheerios and milk for Matthew and ham and cheese croissants for David and Patrick, they all go to the sofa. Patrick is cuddling Matthew who is almost asleep. Patrick’s phone begins to ring.

“Can you grab that, David?”

“It’s Claire,” David says, “Hello? Sure. No, he’s fine. Wasn’t a bit of trouble. Yes, Patrick changed him...did you really think I would attempt such a thing?” Patrick can hear Claire laughing through the phone. “Ok, we’ll see you then.”

“What’s the verdict?”

“Jack has a broken leg and will have to stay overnight. Tom is going to come by to get Matthew in about a half hour.”

“Sounds like a plan. Come cuddle with us!”

David sits next to Patrick and puts his head on his shoulder. The next thing he knows Tom is at the door and Matthew is on his way home.  
“Sorry about all that, David. I had plans for our anniversary evening but, to be honest, I’m exhausted. Who knew such a little person could take so much energy to take care of?”

“Well, I didn’t realize you were Super Nanny. It’s a side of you I don’t think I knew existed. However, I am glad to have my husband back,” David says, sitting on Patrick’s lap. “That baby had my favorite seat all night!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3rd anniversary is leather....tragically I cannot write smut, so don't get too excited.


	3. Leather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really, really short chapter. Just some domestic, bickering fluff.

“Seriously, David. I can’t tell the difference. You’re the one that makes all the creative decisions. You pick.”

“This is going to be our apartment, I want you to have a say in these things.” David hands over a bundle of leather swatches to Patrick. “Now, do you like the butter, biscuit or nutmeg best?”

“Are we buying a couch or making a pecan pie?” Patrick says, laughing. “I honestly don’t care. Whatever you think will look best with the eggshell color you wanted in here.”

“The color is chamomile, not eggshell, Patrick. And I’ll thank you not to laugh. This is serious business...these colors will be here for as long as we have the apartment.”

“What do you mean, as long as we have the apartment?” Patrick looks a little apprehensive.

“Well, we can’t live here forever, Patrick. We’re eventually going to need more space, I mean my wardrobe certainly isn’t going to get any smaller, and no child of mine is going to share room with me. Despite the trend, I can’t see us attachment parenting, can you, Patrick?”

Patrick’s eyes have misted over. “Really, now. No attachment parenting? But I thought Gwyneth says…”

“Screw Gwyneth. I never should have listened to her. Remember the ‘soft launch’?”

“Indeed I do. Shall we make a decision and order up this couch so that it actually arrives before we move out?”

“Very funny. I just want to be sure that you’re happy with it. I mean, you’ll be sitting on it to watch all those baseball matches and whatnot.”

“As long as it’s comfortable, I don’t care. Seriously.”

“Ok then, I’m going to go with the butter.”

“Are you sure about that, David? You don’t like the biscuit?”

“Oh my God, Patrick. If you wanted the biscuit why didn’t you just say so?”

“Who says I wanted the biscuit? I was just surprised that the butter was your choice, that’s all.”

“Well, great. Now I’m paranoid. Do you really think the biscuit is better?”

“As long as there’s room for me to cuddle you on it, I don’t care what color it is.”

“Thank you for that. Butter it is.”

“And anyway, you probably won’t really be able to tell what color it is once we put the clear plastic couch cover on it.”

“Remind me again why I’m moving in with you? There will be no plastic couch covers in our home, Patrick. That is why we’re getting a leather couch. It’s durable and will be easy to clean.”

“Easy to clean...so you won’t mind when I eat my chili cheese fries while I watch the baseball 'matches'?” Patrick says, in a teasing voice.

“Ummmm….I do mind when you eat those and it has nothing to do with cleaning. Those things look like someone has already eaten them. But sure, if you manage to get some past me eat away.”

“Noted. Be sneaky when it comes to delicious game time food. Got it.”

“Now the next order of business. Kitchen table. Do you like the chestnut or the sassafras stain on the wood?”


	4. Fruit and Flowers

“I’m thinking we need to do something to change up our usual Open Mic night,” Patrick says while stocking the massage oils.

“Do you think that’s really necessary? I mean, Bob’s beat poetry is never predictable, and as long as we have wine we could put ice melting on the stage and people would stay.”

“I know, but it’s so cold and dark and dreary these days. Maybe something, I don’t know, tropical?”

“Roland already has a Hawaiian party every fall. Isn’t that enough?”

“A Hawaiian theme! I like it. Great idea, David!” Patrick kisses David on the cheek.

“Ummm….no...it wasn’t an idea. And Roland already has that theme taken...we don’t want to do something that’s already been done. That’s just uncouth.”

“I’m sure there’s room in this town for two Hawaiian themed nights. And it’s going to be Valentine’s Day...we can make sure everyone gets ‘leid’”, Patrick laughs.

“Oh my God, Patrick. You did NOT just say that. How, pray tell, do you intend to throw this Hawaiian night in our store?”

Patrick smiles when he hears David say ‘our store’.

“We can get some Hawaiian shirts, maybe a frozen drink machine, order lots of leis, of course. It will be fun! Maybe we can call it a ‘Lover’s Luau’”

“First of all, I will NOT be wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Nope. Not going to happen. Second, I will not be attending anything called a ‘Lover’s Luau’. Ever.”

“Come on, David. It’ll be on our anniversary...won’t that be romantic?” Patrick teases.

“No. That is not something I would ever call romantic. Ever.”

“Then I guess serenading you with my ukulele is out of the question?”

“Please tell me you don’t have a ukulele. Seriously, Patrick. Guitar is one thing, but ukulele? It’s like something out of a 50’s beach party movie.”

“Let’s do it. It’ll be fun! I'll even let you pick out the leis. I reserve the right to order the grass skirts and coconut bras.” Patrick winks and opens a party supply website on his laptop.

David peeks over Patrick’s shoulder at the website. “Ok...you’re taking this too far. There will be no coconut lingerie. I draw the line there and I won’t budge. But those lei’s don’t look too tacky. Especially if we can get a few orchids to put around the store…” David takes over the laptop. “It looks like they have some kitschy Tiki glasses. I hear those are making a comeback.”

Patrick leaves David to order decorations and favors for the Open Mic night. He goes into the back room and pulls up a website on his phone. “Mission accomplished,” he says, hitting the ‘confirm’ button.

The weeks leading up to the Tiki Party, as David has deemed it, are a flurry of Pinterest boards and Etsy orders. It seems that every day there is a new package with something David has deemed essential to the evening. Patrick is secretly pleased that David is actually taking an interest in the Open Mic nights. He has never felt like David enjoyed them and it’s gratifying to see his eyes light up when talking about the upcoming one. 

While David is busy with the logistics, Patrick is planning something of his own. It’s their fourth anniversary this Valentine’s Day. He had been searching for the perfect gift, something that isn’t easy to find for David, obviously. He did a little research and found that the traditional gifts for the fourth anniversary are fruit and flowers. He really didn’t think that one of those edible fruit bouquet things would be an acceptable gift for David Rose. After a conversation with his sister, he thinks he has the perfect gift. He just has to keep it a secret until Open Mic night…

The night of the “Tiki Party” arrives before they know it. David is busy at the door handing out leis and selling drink tickets. He is wearing his usual ‘variation on a black sweater’ as Patrick likes to call it, but has accessorized it with a gorgeous vintage hibiscus brooch that he found on Ebay. Patrick has to admit, it is stunning.

Twyla walks through the door and greets David, “Oooohhhh. Can I get ‘leid’?” and dissolves into a fit of giggles.

“We are not participating in the double entendre of the word ‘lei’, thank you. This is a respectable establishment and I will not allow antics such as that,” David admonishes Twyla.

“Oh...I had an aunt once that had tics. She got them from her dogs. It was horrible.” David waves Twyla in, rolling his eyes.

Patrick busies himself getting the stage and mic ready. He is a little nervous about his gift, not because he thinks David won’t like it, but because of all the planning that he had to do behind David’s back. He’s not a very good liar and he is especially bad at it when David is involved.

“Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Rose Apothecary’s first Tiki Party Open Mic night. I hope you have brought your Valentine, because let’s not forget it’s Valentine’s Day. I want to take a minute to tell my Valentine not only Happy Valentine’s Day, but happy fourth anniversary. We got married right here on Valentine’s Day. David, I love you and am so happy to call you my husband.”

Near the door, David blushes a deep scarlet, but throws Patrick a kiss.

“I think we’ll start tonight with Bob and his beat poetry!”

The night goes well, and everyone seems to be enjoying the theme night. David thinks that they may have to do this again and starts compiling a mental list of themes to use.

“And thank you to the Jazzagals for that stirring rendition of “It’s Raining Men” written by fellow Canadian Paul Shaffer. I think that’s about all we have time for tonight, but thank you so much for coming.”

David is a little disappointed that Patrick didn’t sing to him, but, after all, he did veto the ukulele.

“As everyone is leaving, Patrick disappears into the back room and returns holding a ukulele. “David, I promised I wouldn’t play this, but could you come up here? Have a seat.”

David is glad that everyone is on their way out of the store. Patrick hands him the ukulele, which has a large envelope taped to the back. Patrick retrieves his guitar from the back room and begins to play “My Little Grass Shack”. Before he starts to sing, he asks David to take the envelope off the ukulele and wait until the end of the song to open it. David is confused by Patrick’s song choice, but figures maybe he’s trying to stay with the tiki theme. Finally the song comes to an end. Patrick nods at David and tells him he can open the envelope.

When David opens the envelope and sees the contents, he begins to laugh. “So THAT’s why you insisted on having a Hawaiian night!” He removes an itinerary for a trip to Hawaii, laughing. “But seriously, when are we going to be able to go? We can’t just close the store.”

“I think we can, and we should. February is the slowest month for sales. We haven’t had a vacation since our honeymoon. The store is turning a decent profit now, we can afford it. Plus the traditional gifts for a fourth anniversary are fruit and flowers.”

“Thank God you didn’t just get me one of those bouquets made of honeydew and cantaloupe. Those are so tacky.”

Patrick chuckles to himself. “The reservations are for next week.”

“Next week? That really doesn’t leave me enough time to pack, you know!”

“I know. But I have faith in you, David. You can do it!” Patrick takes David’s hand as they walk out of the store, locking the door behind them.

A week later they are relaxing on a white sand beach in Maui. Patrick’s phone signals a text coming through. He reads it and starts laughing.

“What’s so funny?” David asks, trying to see the screen.

“It’s just, I knew this would happen,” Patrick says laughing. “Alexis is trying to get the keys to the store so she can ‘surprise’ us by keeping the store open and showing us how well she can manage it.”

“That’s not funny, Patrick, that’s terrifying!”

“Not to worry, David. I gave Stevie the keys with strict orders not to give them to anyone, especially Alexis. Stevie just texted that Alexis has been trying to bribe her to give up the keys all day and that we owe her big time for this.”

“Well, I think we should send her one of those tacky fruit bouquets to thank her!” David gets up from his beach chair and heads to the hotel.

“I think that is a brilliant idea, Mr. Rose Brewer!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paul Schaffer really did write ‘It’s Raining Men’. It’s a piece of trivia that has won me many a bar bet.


	5. Wood

David walks into the store about an hour after opening time as usual. He walks over to give Patrick a kiss, but notices something in a pot with a bow on it.

“What is this?”

“Happy anniversary!” Patrick presents the gift with a flourish.

David isn’t sure what to think. “Ummmmm….you got me a stick in a pot? Thank you?” He tries hide his confusion, but David Rose Brewer has never been one that could disguise his emotions.

“It’s not a stick, David. It’s a tree. A sugar maple tree to be exact.”

“Oh. Well, thank you. I’m sure I’ll find something to do with it.” David looks around the store.

It’s a slow day at Rose Apothecary, and David spends much of his time moving the pot from place to place, trying to find somewhere he could place the tree and retain the aesthetics of the shop. He hasn’t been successful with any of the places he has tried. He sneaks off to the back room and places a quick phone call.

“Stevie...it’s David. I need some advice. Patrick gave me this thing for our anniversary and I don’t know what to do with it.”

“David, I am no going to explain to you how a cock ring works. That is something that you should discuss with your husband.”

“Oh my God, Stevie. Do you really think I’d ask you that? And do you really think I’d need directions? He got me a tree.”

Stevie bursts into laughter. “He got you a tree.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Like an actual, living plant tree?”

“Yes. What the fuck am I supposed to do with a tree?”

“Did Patrick give you any ideas about what to do with it?”

“No, he just presented it like it was an Emmy and walked away. Stevie, it does not coordinate with anything in the store.”

“Well, it’s a tree, David. Don’t those usually belong outside?”

“And where, pray tell, should I plant this twig? In the Moira Rose’s Garden? Oohhh...maybe Jake can take it and plant it in the woods with all its other forest friends the next time you two have a date night, Pony.”

“Very funny. I don’t know. Is there anywhere outside your apartment you could plant it?”

“No. And why would I plant a tree at my apartment building?”

“Just trying to help, David. I have no idea what you should do with it. Maybe ask Patrick what he was thinking when he bought it for you.”

“I don’t want to hurt his feelings; he seems very pleased with his gift choice. I’m just confused. He knows I am a plant assassin! I couldn’t even keep succulents alive.”

“Well, I vote you ask him, but I’m pretty sure my vote doesn’t count.”

“That is correct. Thanks for not helping me, Stevie”

“It’s what a best friend is for.”

David hangs up the phone and wanders back out into the store. Patrick is starting to set up the stage for the annual Valentine’s Day Open Mic night. Ever since they decided to get married five years ago during the event, Patrick insists that they have an open mic night on their anniversary.

“Hey, David. Who was on the phone?”

“Stevie. It was Stevie.”

“What did she want?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just best friend stuff.”

“Best friend stuff? Sounds pretty important to me.”

“Well, it wasn’t.” David picks up the pot and walks to the door. “I’m thinking that maybe this needs to be outside. You know, nature and all that.”

Patrick looks up from his phone where he has just received a text from Stevie that says,

_He’s definitely confused. The plan is working._

“Well, I don’t know how well it will do out there in the pot. It will probably outgrow it soon.”

“OK, then. Not outside.” He puts the pot toward the side of the stage and tries to busy himself with selling drink tickets and serving wine. No one mentions the tree with the bow on it.

Open mic night is a hit, as it usually is. Just having something to do on a weeknight is cause for excitement in a town this small. After the crowd leaves, Patrick and David clean up the stray glasses, fold up the chairs and stage and close the register. They’re about to leave the store when Patrick says, “David, don’t you want to bring your present home?”

“Oh. Sure. Silly me. I can’t believe I forgot it.” David brings the tree out from the back room. “Ready to go!”

“It will fit in the back seat. Hop in and lets get home before it gets too late.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m exhausted.” David still has no idea why on Earth his husband thought a tree would be a good gift. It’s just not like Patrick. Patrick always prides himself on being a good gift giver. David is sure that’s one of the reasons they stay together.

“I hope you don’t mind if I run a quick errand on the way home,” Patrick says.

“That’s fine.” 

Patrick pulls up to Ray’s and hops out of the car. He returns a few minutes later, holding an envelope.

They pull back on to the main road, but Patrick isn’t driving toward their apartment.

“Did you have another errand to run? You realize you’re not heading home, right? Do I have to make you turn on the navigation system in this car?”

“I realize that,” Patrick says, with a smirk on his face.

“You aren’t taking me to a remote area to murder me, are you? I watch Law and Order. It’s always the nice guy who is the killer.”

Patrick laughs, “Nope. Not going to murder you. Today.”

“That’s comforting. Now where are we going? Please don’t say we’re going to that God-forsaken spa in Elmdale. I don’t think I’ve recovered from the Lover’s Curry and bath towel swans.”

“Would I do that to you? On our fifth anniversary?” Patrick leans over and gives David a quick kiss. “We’re here.”

David looks out of the car window. They’ve pulled up to a blue house with a “sold” sign on the lawn. David recognizes it as one of the houses they had toured with Ray. By the time they had decided to make an offer, the house was already sold.

Patrick opens the back door and takes out the tree.

“Patrick, what are you doing?” David looks around, hoping that there is no security camera filming this.

“I think this is the perfect spot. Once it gets a little bigger, it can shade the porch.”

“Patrick, have you lost your mind? We can’t just go all ‘Johnny Appleseed’ and plant a tree in someone’s front yard!”

“What if it was our front yard?”

“The house was sold by the time we decided to make a bid, if you’ll recall, Patrick. Let’s go before someone calls the sheriff.” David turns around to see Patrick holding out a key.

“The first buyer’s mortgage fell through. I got the call from Ray this morning. We still have to fill out all the paperwork, but our offer was accepted. Welcome to your new home, Mr. Rose Brewer.”

“Are you serious?? I’ve been freaking out all day thinking that you had lost your mind! I even called Stevie to ask for advice. You know I’m freaking out when I do that.”

Patrick laughs, “I know you did. She was in on the surprise. I knew you’d call her and ask for advice!”

“Well, she is my best friend. Besides you, but after gifting me with a tree, I wasn’t so sure about that.”

“I see how it is. As long as I give you quality gifts, you’ll stay with me,” Patrick pouts.

“Pretty much,” David says, giving Patrick a quick kiss. “I can’t believe we got the house! There’s going to be so much to do...think of how much decorating needs to be done!”

“And you’ve got a tree to plant, David.”

“I think I’ll leave my husband in charge of all of the exterior plans for the house. Especially the tree planting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to send ideas!   
> Contact info in profile. 
> 
> gottriplets


	6. Iron

David Rose Brewer had made a decision. Every anniversary so far Patrick had been the one with the grand gesture. Not this year. This year David was going to surprise him. He wasn’t quite sure how, but he’d figure that out soon enough.

“Hey, Claire!”

“David? Is everything ok? Did something happen to Patrick?” Claire sounded confused and panicked.

“Patrick is fine. Can’t I just call my wonderful sister-in-law for no reason except to talk?” David peeked out from the back room curtains to be sure Patrick was still helping a customer.

“Since you haven’t done that in the almost six years that I’ve been your sister-in-law, I’m going to go with ‘no’. What’s going on? Seriously, is everything ok?”

“I can’t talk for much longer, but everything is not ok. I am in crisis here. I want to surprise Patrick for our anniversary but have no idea what to do. I was hoping his lovely sister might have some ideas.”

“Off the top of my head I don’t, but I’ll text you if I think of something,” Claire said, laughing. “You realize that Patrick isn’t going to like being beaten at his own gift game.”

“No, thank you. We aren’t interested in that.” David ended the call abruptly.

Patrick peeked his head through the curtain. “Who was that?”

“A salesperson. I think they had the wrong number.”

“ For a wrong number you certainly were on the phone a long time. What did they want to sell us?”

“Ummmmm...I can’t really remember. I just know we didn’t need it.” David stopped anymore questions by giving Patrick a long, hard kiss.

The days went by and David still hadn’t heard anything from Claire. In desperation, he sent her a text early one morning.

_Hey, Claire! Have you thought of anything for the gift? I’m dying out here and we’re getting closer to the day._

“Are you expecting a call, David? You’ve been checking your phone all morning.”

“No, I’ve been watching to see which of the Kardashians is pregnant. I heard a rumor that one of them was going to announce they were pregnant today and I don’t want to miss it.”

“Well, that IS important. I’m sorry I questioned you, David. Carry on!”

“Thank you. I shall.” David walked away and began straightening the bath salts.

That afternoon, David’s phone pinged to notify him of a text. Finally. He looked at his phone and read what Claire had sent.

_Superheroes. I’ll call later with more information._

Patrick came up behind him and rested his chin on David’s shoulder. David closed the screen as quickly as he could.

“So, who was it? I can’t stand waiting any longer!” Patrick said, feigning desperation.

“Apparently my source is a liar. No one is pregnant.”

“Gee David, I’m so sorry. Are you going to be alright? This must be such a disappointment for you,” Patrick teased.

“Thank you for your concern. I’ll be fine.”

Later that night while Patrick was on the couch watching some sort of sports thing, David called Claire.

“OK...you’re going to have to give me way more information. This may surprise you, but I didn’t really play superheroes as a child. There were no Vogue comic books or Claudia Schiffer action figures.”

Claire bursts into laughter. “Well, you certainly are at a disadvantage here. When Patrick was growing up, he loved superheroes. Every Halloween he’d dress as the same one - Iron Man. I don’t know why, but that was his favorite.”

David searches his memory for anything he knows about Iron Man. “That was the movie with sober Robert Downey, Jr., right? I was into him more during his _Less than Zero_ days, but I can see the attraction.”

“I know Patrick has been enjoying having theme nights at the Open Mic Nights. What if you were to ‘let’ him have superhero night? And then you could find a gift to go with that theme - tickets to Comic Con or a collectors edition comic or something.”

“Claire, you’re a genius. I owe you one.”

“You may regret those words, David. I have three boys that would LOVE to have a sleepover with Uncle David and Uncle Patrick.”

“That actually might be fun! We could do face masks, mani/pedis…”

“Good bye, David.”

Claire was right. Patrick started thinking of a new theme for their Valentine’s Day / Anniversary Open Mic Night. David was trying not to be too obvious, but he wanted to steer him in the superhero theme direction.

“What about a Superbowl theme?”

“The Superbowl was two weeks ago, sweetheart. But thanks for trying. I just can’t come up with anything!”

“Hmmm….a theme. What about something like Halloween where everyone dresses up?” David suggested.

“I like the costume idea, but we’d still need some sort of general theme.”

“Well, what costumes did a little Patrick Brewer wear for Halloween? I’m sure yours were much more mainstream than mine were.”

Patrick chuckles to himself. “Iron Man. I was always Iron Man. I had Iron Man sheets, Iron Man curtains, Iron Man action figures, everything Iron Man. Pretty much until I discovered baseball players.”

“Iron Man. Wasn’t that a movie with Robert Downey, Jr.? What was it about?”

“David, we’ve watched it a million times. Iron Man is a superhero.”

“I guess I wasn’t paying attention. So why not have a superpeople theme night. There’s more than one, right? In that one movie, they traveled in a pack.”

“Super _heroes_ , David,” Patrick laughs. “And they traveled in a pack in the Avengers movie, another film which we have seen.”

“On the nights you pick the movie I just concentrate on watching how cute you are when you get all into a movie. Can I help it if I’m easily distracted?” David gives Patrick a peck on the cheek. “So you want to do superheroes? What kind of color scheme do we need?”  
The weeks leading up to Open Mic Night pass quickly. Everyone in town seems to be excited to dress up, and Open Mic Nights are usually well attended. As David suspected, Patrick decides to be Iron Man.

“Does Iron Man have a breathtakingly handsome sidekick? I’m going to need a costume, too.”

Patrick looks shocked. “Ummmm….I really thought you wouldn’t be in to the dressing up portion of the night. Iron Man doesn’t have a sidekick, but there is a group of fans that think he should be involved with Captain America…”

“Which one is that? It’s not the one that shoots webs, is it? You know I hate spiders. The milky exoskeletons of some of them….” David shudders.

“He’s not the one that shoots webs. He’s the one that dresses in red, white and blue and carries a shield with a star on it.”

“Sounds like something I could get into. Is the star made of sequins? Or can it be made of sequins?”

Patrick laughs, “Well, officially it’s not made of sequins, but I have no doubt that you will bring your own David Rose spin to the costume.”

“That’s David Rose Brewer to you, mister!” David gives Patrick a quick kiss. “I guess I should start looking for pieces of my costume. Etsy, don’t fail me now!”

The night of the Open Mic Night finally arrives. Patrick has been asking David for weeks about his costume. David insists on keeping it a surprise. While Patrick is setting up the stage, David goes into the back room and changes into his costume.

“Well, what do you think?” David asks. He’s wearing skin tight black jeans that are covered by a long, knitted sweater that is a replica of Captain America’s costume.

“Where on Earth did you get that? It’s fabulous!” Patrick looks closer and can see that the star on David’s chest is knitted in a sparkly white thread. “It looks like it was custom made for you, sparkles and all.”

“That is called glimmer yarn, and yes, it was custom made. I had the woman who makes the cat hair scarves knit it for me. NOT out of cat hair, I didn’t want you to have an allergy flare up.”

“Well, I’ve never seen a cat with ‘glimmer’ hair, so I figured I was pretty safe.”

Patrick goes to the back and emerges in his Iron Man costume. 

“You’re sure I can’t wear the mask? It’s kind of like Iron Man’s thing…” Patrick asks.

“I’m sure. One, let’s not cover up your adorable face. Two, I dated someone who was auditioning for the role of “Flying Monkey” in the _Wizard of Oz_ who claimed he had to keep the mask on to ‘immerse himself’ in the character. Imagine waking up next to that. I get hives if I can’t see someone’s cheekbones now.”

“Well, we don’t want that. We’ve seen what poison oak can do.”

The Open Mic Night is well attended. Everyone wants to show off their costumes, not the least  
of whom is David’s mother, of course.

“Now during my days in the ensemble of _Follies_ , Eartha and I became quick comrades. During one of our little tête-à-têtes she gifted me with this costume. She said that I would be the next Catwoman, then that damn Michelle Pfieffer stole my role!”

“Dear, you make Michelle look like a stray kitten. It was a role you were meant to play.” Johnny adjusts his glasses inside his Batman mask. “Can I take the mask off now? We’ve made our entrance and I can’t see a thing.”

“Mom, let him take that ridiculous thing off,” David interjects, “You know how I react to masks! Please tell me you left the bullwhip at home? This is a family establishment!”

“I left that integral accessory at home, David. It’s really for private use,” Moira says, sidling up to Johnny.

“Oh my God. Put that on the list of things I never wanted to know about my parents.”

Open Mic Night is a success, as it usually is. David and Patrick finish cleaning up and lean against the front counter.

“That was a great night. You only had one near occasion of hives with Bob and his Robin mask….” Patrick teases.

“Don’t be mean to me or I won’t give you your anniversary present!”

“I figured letting me have Superhero night was my present.”

“You thought wrong, Mr. Rose Brewer.”

David and Patrick get changed out of their costumes, although David argues his is really more of a fashion statement than a costume, and head to the car. As Patrick gets into the car, he notices an envelope on the front seat with his name on it.  
“Did you get me a card, David? I have your gift at home...I was saving it until we could be alone.”

“Just open it.” David is nearly vibrating with excitement.

“Are you serious? You did this? By yourself? How did you know? I love it! I can’t wait!” Patrick throws his arms around David and gives him a long kiss.

“Well, I did have some help from Claire. She told me about your obsession with Iron Man and suggested something involving that. Stevie told me how to get Comic Con tickets. Something about her spending a week there dressed as Poison Ivy? Honestly, I thought she would want to stay away from that after the poison oak incident.”

“This is incredible. Thank you, David.”

“Well, the event isn’t until July, so I had to come up with something for tonight, as well. We’ll be spending the night at the fabulous Crystal Elms Hotel. I packed a bag for you. But bring the costume…”

David and Patrick walk up to the reception desk to check in. David tells the front desk agent, “Reservations for Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.”


	7. Wool

There was one piece of furniture that Patrick couldn’t believe David kept from the days when he lived in the motel. It was a small chest and looked to be handmade. One day Patrick’s curiosity got the better of him and he peeked to see what was inside. The chest was lined in cedar and contained a few of David’s sweaters. This was strange because the new house had plenty of closet space, and there were even 2 bedrooms and a smaller office that weren’t being used at the moment. 

Finally, Patrick’s curiosity got the better of him.

“What’s with the cedar chest?”

“Nothing. It just keeps the moths out of my sweater collection,” David answered.

“You have sweaters all over the place, David. Why not get something bigger?”

“It has sentimental value.”

And that was the end of the discussion about the cedar chest.

It was once again time for Rose Apothecary’s annual Open Mic Night, which meant it was David and Patrick’s anniversary. This year, Patrick wanted to do something out of the ordinary for David. Looking for ideas, he went to Stevie.

“You’re David’s best friend. Do you have any ideas for this anniversary? I’m completely stumped.”

“Hmmmm….what does David love besides me? He loves you, but he already has you,” Patrick blushed, “He loves the store, but he already has that….oh! I know! He loves his clothes!”

“So I should buy him clothes? Are you insane, Stevie?”

“When he lived at the motel I had to give him a separate room just for his clothes. I’m sure you know how many sweaters the guy has. What about one of Ray’s closet organizers?”

“We’re trying to stay away from Ray as much as possible - too much of a history of embarrassing ‘interruptions’. But that’s a start, at least. He did mention something about cedar keeping the moths out of his sweaters, but he only has a small cedar chest for that.” 

Patrick spent the time before David came in to the shop to formulate a plan. He did some research online, and apparently you can line an entire closet with cedar to make it moth proof. He began to formulate a plan - the tiny room they were calling the office could be turned into a cedar closet. It was perfect. The only problem was how on Earth to do construction in the house and not have David figure it out.

“David, don’t come back here!”

“Where? Don’t come back where? I don’t know where you are.”

“The office. Apparently we’ve been invaded.”

“Invaded by what?” David shouted from the safety of the kitchen.

“Looks like termites, but I can’t say for sure. I’ll have to call someone to come out and take a look at them. You’d think the home inspection would have found them.”

“Seal off the door or something. We don’t want them to make it out of there!”

Stage one, complete. David wouldn’t go anywhere near the office.

Commence stage two.

“Mutt, would you be interested in a side job? I’m thinking of surprising David with a cedar closet for our anniversary. Here’s the thing, you’ll have to pretend that you are helping me get rid of termites. I had to tell him that so he’s stay out of the room I want to convert.”

“Room? I thought you said closet,” Mutt said in confusion.

Patrick laughed. “Have you seen how many sweaters David owns? It’s gonna take more than just a closet to store them. So, do we have a deal?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Stop by the store early tomorrow morning and I’ll get you started.” (At least there was one perk to David’s tendency to arrive at the store well past opening.)

The days went by and David stayed far from the office. He did mention that he was surprised that Mutt was also an exterminator, but he didn’t seem to doubt it. The morning of their anniversary, Mutt finished the room. It was beautiful, lined in cedar with built in drawers for storage along the walls. David was going to love it!

After Open Mic Night, Patrick blindfolded David before they entered the house.

“Patrick, is this some new kink for you?” David laughed.

“Don’t tease or you won’t get your present,” Patrick said.

“Yes, sir!”

Patrick carefully made his way through the house to the door to the former office. 

“I need to confess something before I take your blindfold off. There were no termites in the office.”

“Then what was all that construction? All that pounding and all those tool noises? And why was Mutt in our home?”

Patrick took off David’s blindfold and opened the door to the new cedar closet.

“Oh my God, Patrick! You did this? I mean, you had this done for me?” David opened every drawer and touched every surface of the closet.

“I did. Stevie mentioned how when you lived at the motel she gave you a room for your clothes. I figured I could do the same here, but I had it made a cedar closet because of your love of sweaters.”

David melted. He wrapped his arms around Patrick and gave him a long kiss.

“I can’t wait to move my things in!”

Over the next few days, David’s clothes migrated to the new cedar closet. The little cedar chest remained at the foot of their bed, like it had always been.

“David, did you forget about the clothes in here?” Patrick asked, pointing to the cedar chest.

“I most certainly did not.”

“Then why is the chest still here if it’s empty?”

“It’s not empty.”

“Aren’t you going to move what’s in there to the cedar closet?”

“I wasn’t planning to. The items in there are priceless.”

“Priceless? Now I’ve gotta see what you have in there!” Patrick opened the chest and began laying its contents out on the bed. “What’s so priceless about these? They look like all your other sweaters to me.”

“Look more closely,” David said, his mouth in the half-smile that Patrick loved.

There was a black sweater with horizontal white stripes. A black and white angora sweater. A black sweater with a white lightning bolt on it. A solid black sweater. A black sweater with orange flames. A black leather sweater with white stars around the collar. A black sweater with a shiny black pattern on the back.

“I’m stumped, David. What makes these priceless? Are they all from one designer or something?”

David walked by the side of the bed, pointing out sweaters as he went by. 

“The first time I met you in Ray’s office, I was wearing this sweater,” David says pointing to the black sweater with white stripes. “The day we opened the store and you hugged me for the first time, I was wearing this,” David points to the black and white angora sweater. “For our first date and our first kiss, I was wearing this,” David picks up the black sweater with the lightning bolt. “The first time I called you my boyfriend, I was wearing this,” he lifts and carefully refolds the solid black sweater. “Are you sensing a pattern here, Patrick?”

“Oh my God, David! This is the most ‘you’ thing ever. It’s the history of our relationship in sweaters!” Patrick is laughing and crying at the same time. This is why he loves David. All of these little things that mean so much to him. Patrick picks up the black sweater with the orange flames, “Let me try. This is what you were wearing when I sang to you at Open Mic Night.” David nods his head. Picking up the leather sweater Patrick says, “This is when you gave me an olive branch. And an unbelievable lap dance once you moved it to the back room.” David bites his lip and nods, a few tears sprouting in his eyes.

David picks up the last sweater. “So, do you remember this one?”

“Of course I do. That is from the first time you told me you loved me.”

“Do you understand now why these are priceless to me? Why I like to keep them close? Whenever I’m feeling worried about things between us, I take them all out and relive the memories.” David is staring at his feet, blushing. “I know it’s silly, but they help me remember all the wonderful things that have happened for us.”

“It’s not silly. I am going to have to insist on one thing, though.”

“Ummm….ok?” David looks up at Patrick, biting his lip.

“Can I take them out when I need them? Will you share?”

“Of course I will. We’re married. What’s mine is yours. Now, I’d have you add the shirts you were wearing when all of these things happened, but I don’t know how many blue shirts one cedar chest can hold!”

“Very funny, David. And I’ll remind you that you fell in love with me when I was wearing a blue shirt!”

“Indeed I did,” David says, carefully refolding and placing the sweaters in the cedar chest. “Indeed I did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the fluff. Apparently it’s all I’m capable of.


	8. Brass

It’s been a hectic 3 weeks in the Rose-Brewer household. Avery Patricia Rose-Brewer (middle name for Grandma Pat, of course) arrived a week early and threw off all of David and Patrick’s plans for her arrival. Grandma Pat just laughed and told them to get used to it. Children will never do what you’ve planned. 

Since Avery’s arrival, David and Patrick had been bombarded with requests for visitors. 

“David, I don’t know how much longer we can keep telling everyone ‘no guests’. I agree with you that we shouldn’t have to be hosts all day, every day, but I’d like to be able to show Avery off a little.”

“Me, too, Patrick. I’m just exhausted and can’t imagine having people over and actually staying awake. Plus, the place is a mess!”

Since the baby arrived, it seemed like every surface was covered with diapers, wipes, pacifiers and burp cloths. Patrick’s phone dinged to signal a text. 

_Hey little brother, I know things are crazy, but I just wanted to tell you I’m here if you need any advice. I’ve done this four times!_

Patrick immediately called Claire. 

“Oh my God, Claire! Help!”

“Calm down, Patrick. Is she fed? Changed? Then she’ll be ok even if she’s crying. Remember, that’s the only way they can communicate.”

“She’s not crying. Avery barely does that because David never puts her down. I think the Snugli is his new favorite fashion accessory,” Patrick said with a laugh. “It’s everyone else. The texts and calls asking to see her. They just keep coming. I feel like an asshole for telling everyone ‘no’, but I just can’t deal with it!”

“Hmmmm. I do have an idea. Are you still going to have the Open Mic Night on Valentine’s Day?”

“Yes. But I don’t think that she’s is really going to be ready to perform,” Patrick snapped. “I’m sorry, Claire. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“I get it, Patrick. No worries. Anyway, a friend of mine had a ‘Sip and See’ party. They invited all those people who kept asking to see the baby, had tea and just let everyone see the baby”

“I don’t know how David would feel about that...so many germs.”

“That’s the beauty of the Sip and See...they just see the baby. There’s no expectation that the baby will be passed around. She just had the baby out in a bouncy seat and made sure everyone had their hands full with a drink.”

“That might work. You’re a lifesaver, Claire.”

“That’s what big sisters are for. You just better let mom and Grandma Pat come an hour early, they won’t let you get away without letting them hold the baby.”

Patrick laughed. “I know. David has already made an exception for them and his dad. They’re allowed to hold her as long as they’ve used some organic hand sanitizer he found online first. Not surprisingly his mother doesn’t want to hold Avery. She doesn’t like things that are ‘squirmy’. She also is paranoid about pushing in her soft spot.”

“You have the strangest mother-in-law, Patrick,” Claire chuckled. “Let me know what you decide. You know I’ll be there and I can help with plans or food or whatever.”

“Thank you, Claire. I love you big sister!”

“I love you, too, Nugget!”

David walked in the room with Avery in her Snugli. 

“Who was that?”

“It was Claire. I was telling her about how everyone has been pestering us to see baby and she might have a solution.”

“I’m all ears, Patrick. If Ronnie calls one more time….”

“I know we are still planning on having the Open Mic Night, right?”

“Yes, but I don’t think she’ll will be ready for a stage debut.”

“I know. But what if we turn the Open Mic Night into a ‘Sip and See’?”

“What the fuck is a ‘Sip and See’?” David asked while covering the baby’s ears. 

“It’s a party where everyone is invited to come see the baby. We could serve the usual wine and snacks that we do on Open Mic Night.”

“I don’t want drunken people passing our child around, Patrick.”

“That’s the beauty of it. People won’t be expecting to hold the baby because it’s a ‘Sip and See’ party. We’ll just have to let Grandma Pat and my mom come early so they can get their fill of cuddles.”

“That could work. But we have to let my dad come early, too. I think he is sorry to have missed out on Alexis and I being babies so he can’t get enough of Avery.”

“I know. It’s too sweet. Let’s do this.”

David and Patrick started to spread the word that Avery would be the special guest for the Valentine’s Open Mic Sip and See. They were sure to explain to everyone that they would simply be able to see the baby, making the excuse that the Open Mic time is past her normal bedtime and they didn’t want to disturb her schedule. Bob even made plans to replace his usual beat poetry with a dramatic reading of “Good Night, Moon”.

“Thank God it isn’t that creepy “I’ll Love You Forever” book,” David said. “That thing is a case study in not allowing a child to grow up and disrespect for boundaries!”

“I think it’s sweet, but I agree that it takes a dark turn when the mother commits a crime by breaking and entering her son’s house. Maybe we can bring some of the books we got at Avery’s baby shower...give Bob a variety of other choices.”

“Sure,” said David. “However, you are forbidden to play anything by Raffi.”

“I can play something? I figured that wouldn’t be allowed! How do you feel about the baby shark song?”

“Very funny. You definitely can play something….I love when you sing her to sleep every night.”

“I’ll be sure to come up with something suitable.”

The night of the Sip and See, David came to the store early to help set up. As usual, he had Avery in her Snugli.

“You’re gonna have to take her off so people can see her, you know?”

“I know. Her bouncy seat is in the car. I just figured it would keep her calmer while we were setting things up.”

David and Patrick made quick work of setting out the refreshments and setting up the stage. Once Grandma Pat and Patrick’s mother arrived, they took over watching Avery. 

“We’ll cuddle her until everyone else shows up. I know you don’t want everyone passing her around,” said Maryann.

“Thanks, mom,” said Patrick. “Is Claire coming?”

“She should be here any minute. She’s bringing Alicia. She’s home from school for the weekend and wanted to see the baby.”

“That’s awesome!”

Alicia and Claire walk in, carrying a huge tray of pink cupcakes. Alicia makes a beeline for Grandma Pat and the baby.

“She’s so adorable! I want one!”

“Remember when she was 14 and all she wanted was to meet Kylie Jenner? How far we’ve come,” David laughs.

“I seem to remember you being terrified of holding Matthew that Christmas, Uncle David.” Alicia fires back. “Apparently I’m not the only one who has come far.” She laughs and gestures towards the empty Snugli that David is still wearing.

“When did you grow up?” David asks, giving Alicia a hug.

People start to stream in. They are handed a wine glass the minute they walk in and are ushered to the snacks before taking a seat. Avery is snoozing in her bouncy seat neat the stage, dressed in a white onesie with hearts and a red tutu that David had picked out for her.

Bob’s reading of ‘Good Night, Moon’ was a surprise hit. Everyone remembered reading it to their children at some time or another. 

Patrick decided to sing a few songs to close out the night. 

“I want to dedicate this last song to the two loves of my life - David and Avery. Happy anniversary, David”

Patrick played the acoustic version of ‘You Are My Sunshine’ that he played every night for Avery. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. 

After everyone had left, Patrick brought out a small package and handed it to David. 

“I saw this in a catalog right after Avery was born and thought you would like it. I thought we could put it on the front of the house.”

David unwrapped the box and teared up when he saw the contents. 

It was a small, brass plaque that read:

_The Rose-Brewer Family  
Est. February 14, 2020 _

Patrick turned on some soft music. 

“Avery is going to want her midnight bottle soon. We should probably feed her before we go. Could I dance with my husband until she wakes up?”

“I would love to. Happy anniversary, Patrick.”

“Happy anniversary, David.”


	9. Willow

The 2 months leading to David and Patrick’s 9th anniversary are some of the busiest months they’ve ever had. Avery’s first holidays, prime retail season and Avery’s first birthday party have all kept them in a frantic rush to get things done. Now Valentine’s Day and the Open Mic Night are coming up and tempers are short. One night of missed sleep because Avery is breaking in molars has made them both irritable. 

“We need to leave, David! The store opens in 10 minutes.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” David snaps. “No one will die if we’re 5 minutes late.”

“Great attitude for a business owner to have, David. You’re lucky I dropped Avery at daycare already or we’d be even later!”

“Yes, Patrick, I am sooo lucky,” David says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The short car ride to the store is spent in silence. Once they get to the store, Patrick busies himself with opening the register and David immediately goes to the back room to price overstock. They haven’t had an argument like this in a very long time. They’re both too stubborn to apologize, so they spend the day only speaking when necessary. 

Three days go by like this. Both of them want to apologize but now that this has gone on for so long, they’re both embarrassed at their behavior. It’s Open Mic Night tomorrow (not to mention their 9th wedding anniversary) and David is especially worried. What if Patrick ignores their anniversary? Or worse, what if he doesn’t want to be married anymore? Will he take Avery? How will things with the store work out? He ends up calling Stevie and inviting her to meet him lunch. 

“So, what’s the problem? I told your dad I’d be back at the front desk in an hour, so spill it. Don’t make me drag it out of you like usual.”

“IthinkPatrickwantsadivorce.” It comes out all in a rush. It’s the first time he’s ever said the words that have been repeating over and over in his mind out loud and he starts to cry. 

“Woah, woah. Back that shit up, David. Why do you think that? Patrick adores you. And I mean adores in the most nauseating way!”

“We’ve been fighting lately and, I don’t know, we aren’t really speaking right now.”

“Ok. Slow the divorce train down. Has he told you he wants a divorce?”

“No, but….”

“Has he taken all his shit and moved out?”

“No, but…”

“Has he changed to locks at the house?”

“No, but….”

“Then I think it’s pretty safe to say he isn’t looking to get divorced right now. You guys have had a very stressful couple of months. All that craziness over Avery’s first Christmas? And don’t even get me started on the mini-Met Gala that you made her first birthday party into. Now I hear the little rugrat is teething. All of these things added up make for some pretty cranky parents!”

“I just don’t know what to do, Stevie,” David says, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Patrick hasn’t even mentioned our anniversary tomorrow. You know how much it means to him. What if he just doesn’t care anymore?”

“I seriously doubt that, David,” Stevie says rolling her eyes. “This goes against everything I stand for, but what if the two of you take a night or two away? I’ve got a Groupon for the Elmwood Pines hotel and I’ll sacrifice it if it means you two will get your shit together.”

“We can’t just leave Avery…”

“Sure you can! Just leave a giant thing of those goldfish crackers in her crib.” Stevie laughs at David’s horrified face. “Oh my God, David. Do you really think I would honestly suggest that? Give me Claire’s phone number. We’ll work something out. I feel since she has a track record of keeping 4 children alive past infancy she will be a suitable babysitter?”

“Yes, but….”

“Finish eating and get back to work, slacker. I’ll call you tonight with the details.”

Patrick and David lock the store, pick up Avery and drive home in near silence. It’s making David crazy. After dinner he is playing with Avery on the family room floor while Patrick is finishing the dishes. His phone rings and he sees it’s Stevie. 

“Oh, my God. Thank God it’s you. It’s like Ana and Elsa here.” David whispers. 

“Are those your kinky pet names, David? You know I never get your references. Anyway it’s all set. Claire is going to come to the Open Mic Night and take Avery home with her so make sure you pack enough stuff for her. The hotel is reserved for two nights. I figure you guys can have your gross makeup night tomorrow night and then pick up Avery sometime on Wednesday and have her stay with you Wednesday night. I know she’ll like the pool and I know the two of you wouldn’t be able to stay away from her that long.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Stevie.”

“I know, but you totally owe me for this.”

“Don’t worry, Pony. I’ll figure out a way to pay you back.”

“I hate you, David. Warm regards!”

“Best wishes!”

David hangs up the phone and sees Patrick has joined them in the family room. 

“Stevie, I assume? What’s up with her?”

“Not much. Some hot cable installer was at the hotel. She wanted my opinion.”

“Your opinion. Stevie wanted YOUR opinion? On a guy you’ve never seen? That doesn’t sound like Stevie at all…”

“I know. Weird, isn’t it. Do you want to give Avery her bath or should I? Or do you want to do it together?” David changes the subject as quickly as possible. 

That night after they’ve read Avery her story, Patrick has sung to her and they’ve tucked her in, they both collapse into bed. 

“Good night, David,” Patrick says, giving David a quick peck on the lips and turning over. 

“Good night, Patrick.”

Patrick falls asleep quickly, but David can’t sleep. He gets up carefully and packs a bag for Avery and then packs a bag for himself and Patrick. He’d put them in the trunk of the car, but he’s afraid opening the door to the garage will wake Patrick. Hopefully Patrick won’t notice that Avery’s bag is heavier than usual. David taking a loaded bag to work isn’t anything unusual. 

Once Avery is settled at the sitters and they’ve opened the store, they busy themselves getting ready for Open Mic Night. Patrick still hasn’t mentioned their anniversary and David is terrified to bring it up. What if this whole getaway idea blows up in his face? It’s too late now to do anything else. 

Much like the previous day, conversation between Patrick and David is limited. They open the doors for the Open Mic Night and greet the customers. At the end of the night, David takes Avery to Claire, along with her diaper bag. 

“You should have plenty of everything. There’s baby Tylenol and a soft pretzel in there if her teething pain gets bad. You’ll probably want to put the pretzel in the freezer as soon as you get home.”

“Don’t worry, David,” Claire says. “I’ve done this before.”

“I know, I know. I’m just worried that Patrick will be upset with me for planning this as a surprise.”

“I know my brother, David. He will love this.”

“I hope so. Bye-bye sweetie!” David says, kissing Avery on her cheeks. “Be good for Aunt Claire.”

The last guests have left the store and Patrick locks the door. 

“Let’s get our little lady and head home.”

“Ummmm. About that…” David stammers. “She’s at Claire’s for the night.”

“What? Why? Is everything ok? Oh my God, David. Are you leaving me? I know I’ve been hard to live with and I know I haven’t said anything about our anniversary but I didn’t want to bring it up in case you were mad at me and…”

David cuts him off with a kiss. 

“I’ve been feeling the same way. Thank goodness for Stevie and her love of the Groupon.”

“What?”

“I am whisking you away for a 2 night stay at the luxurious Elmwood Pines hotel.”

“But Avery….we can’t leave her with Claire for that long.”

“And we’re not going to. After we take tonight for ourselves, we’re picking her up tomorrow afternoon and bringing her back to stay at the hotel with us. Remember how much she loves to swim?”

Patrick flings himself at David, nearly crushing him in a hug. 

“Thank you! This is just what we need. I am so sorry I’ve been stressed out and short…”

“Hey, I have, too. Let’s put it behind us and have a good time tonight. It is, after all, our 9th anniversary.”

“Did you ever think you would say you’d been married for 9 years?”

“Well, after I found out Matt Bomer was already married, no. But then I met this guy….”

“Get in the car, David. You can tell me all about this guy on the way to the hotel.”

Once they’re shown to their room they both immediately flop onto the bed. 

“Is it wrong that I just want to pull the covers over my head and sleep?” David asks. 

“Yes, it is,” Patrick says, crawling on top of David and giving him a deep kiss. 

They’re interrupted by a knock on the door. 

“Room service.”

“Did you order room service, David?”

“No, did you?”

Patrick opens the door ready to explain that there must be some mistake. The server hands him a very large wicker hamper and a bottle of wine. 

“It’s already taken care of. Tip as well. There’s a card inside,” the server says as he turns and walks down the hall. 

“What is that?” David asks. 

“I’m not sure, but it looks like a picnic?”

David takes an extra blanket from the closet and spreads it on the floor. They open the hamper and read the card on top:

_You two better be making up! I gave up a Groupon for this! Seriously, though, Happy Anniversary! You guys are perfect for each other and you give me hope that someday I will find a man worthy of my greatness. Best wishes and warm regards, Stevie._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this anniversary was going to be leather, but I realized I had already written a leather chapter. The wicker picnic basket will have to do for willow. Thanks for reading!


	10. Tin

Patrick and David’s 10th anniversary was approaching. They had a wonderful Christmas - this year Avery was starting to understand the concept of gifts, and everyone had a great time watching Christmas through her eyes. She toddled from grandparent to grandparent showing off all her toys.

For Avery’s second birthday, David decided on a ‘Noah’s Ark’ theme -  
2 of everything. Patrick drew the line at 2 cakes, much to David’s chagrin. The party, like all parties that David planned, was the talk of the town. 

Next up was the Open Mic Night / Valentines Day / Anniversary extravaganza (as David had named it). Honestly they were both a little tired of party planning, but, after all, this was a tradition. In 10 years they haven’t missed one Open Mic Night / Valentines Day / Anniversary extravaganza and they weren’t going to start now.

Patrick was trying to come up with an idea for an anniversary gift, but he was coming up short. David was so particular that it was hard to surprise him for fear of him not liking the gift. He planned to sing to David at the Open Mic Night, but he didn’t feel like that was enough. After all, this was their 10 year anniversary. It definitely deserved a special gift.

One night while he was going through Etsy looking for the perfect gift, he found something that he thought David might actually like. He contacted the vendor to see if they could do a rush job. An extra $49 later, Patrick’s gift had been ordered. He just needed to send in the personalization.

“David, can you hold down the store for a bit? I need to run to the bank.”

Patrick wasn’t going to the bank. He swang by Avery’s daycare and bundled her into the car. They drove to Elmdale, stopping at a small recording studio.

“Are you ready, Avery? Are you going to help me make Daddy’s present?”

Avery clapped her hands at the mention of Daddy. 

“Papa hopes he likes this gift!”

The night of the Open Mic Night / Valentines Day / Anniversary extravaganza arrived and Patrick’s gift had been delivered to the store that morning. Everything was set for a successful evening. 

The usual crowd had gathered, drink tickets in hand and Patrick opened the show.

“Hey there, everybody! Welcome to the 10th annual Valentines Day Open Mic Night! As I’m sure most of you know, this day is very special to David and myself. 10 years ago today we were married on this very stage. So I’m going to start it off with a song I first played for David over 10 years ago.”

As usual, the night was a success. Patrick had made arrangements to have Avery stay overnight with Stevie, so once she was bundled into her car seat, David and Patrick were alone in the store.

“Remember our ‘semi-firm’ launch? I can’t believe we’ve built the company up from this one little store. I am so proud of you, David.”

“Well, I did have an adorable investor who had wonderful business sense.” David leans over and pecks Patrick on the cheek.

“Are you ready for your present?”

“Always!”

“Remember when you were mad at me for giving you anniversary presents? Oh how far we’ve come - and I’m not sure that’s a good thing!”

“You love buying me presents - admit it.”

“I do. I do. You are difficult to buy for, however, and each year is getting more and more challenging.”

“Soooooo...where’s the present?” David says, looking around and laughing.

Patrick goes into the back room and returns with a large package. David opens the package and looks at the gift carefully.

“You got me a frame with a metal sheet with 2 squiggly lines in it? Is it a piece from an up and coming artist?”

“Actually it’s a piece from me and Avery.”

“Avery, I believe, but you could do better, Patrick,” David says laughing. “Seriously, what on earth is this?”

“Well, the top squiggle is a waveform rendition of me saying “I love you, David.” The bottom squiggle is a waveform rendition of Avery saying “I love you, Daddy”.”

Tears well up in David’s eyes. “This is a really incredible gift….you are getting better and better at finding gifts! How on earth did you get this done?”

“Well, I was looking for 10th anniversary present ideas on Etsy, and these popped up. Apparently the traditional gift for the 10th anniversary is tin. I figured this was about the only thing I could give you that would be acceptable.”

“That would be correct. Thank you for not giving me some horrible sculpture made out of beer cans. But how did they get the recording of your voices?”

“I remembered that Ronnie said her brother had a recording studio, and I figured that would give us the cleanest recording. I told you I was going to the bank and I picked up Avery and we went and recorded it, then I FedEx’d it to the artist.”

“That explains it!”

“Explains what?”

“Stevie came in one morning and asked me if you were picking up Avery from daycare because she was sick. I just chalked it up to one too many glasses of wine, but I guess she was telling the truth.”

“Are you ready to head home? We can have a quiet night since Avery is with Stevie.”

“I am so ready for a quiet night. I don’t think she’s slept through since her birthday party.”

“Thank you for marrying me, David.”

“I’m the one that should be thanking you. Let’s stop for ice cream on the way home and eat it in bed.”

“I like the way you think, Mr. Rose-Brewer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I don’t know if I’ll be writing anymore, but if you have any disgustingly sweet and fluffy ideas I’d love to hear them. I’m just a big sap for these boys! You can message me on tumblr @gottriplets


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